Today’s Cellar Note brings you a taste of Chardonnay grown and made in the mountain appellation of Spring Mountain District. Spring Mountain District AVA sits above the Napa Valley on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains that separate Napa Valley from Sonoma Valley. The Stony Hill Vineyard Chardonnay was provided as a tasting sample. 2015 Stony Hill Vineyard Chardonnay […]
Anderson Valley winegrowers are cool-climate specialists. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer are the most-planted varieties in this northern California appellation. If you are a fan of sparkling wine, Anderson Valley has you covered. However, in today’s Cellar Note our focus is FEL Anderson Valley Chardonnay, which we received as a tasting sample. The Anderson Valley AVA is located about 100 […]
The Wine Pairing Weekend group of bloggers is beginning the year with a show of support for Sonoma wineries and an acknowledgement of the fire relief efforts since the devastating fires that scarred the wine country in early October. Jill Barth, this month’s #winePW host, set the tone perfectly in her post announcing the event: We’re calling it #SonomaStrong to […]
If you have tasted Chardonnay made in California, chances are Wente family ancestors had a hand in developing the Chardonnay clone that produced that glass of wine. As much as 80% of Chardonnay grown in California is made with or derived from the Wente clone. That’s a pretty amazing statistic and a very good reason for Wente Vineyards to be […]
These wines were received as tasting samples. In this post we continue our exploration of the wines of North Fork Long Island AVA with a tasting of three wines from Bridge Lane. In an earlier post we started our exploration with a tasting of three wines from Lieb Cellars, who also make the Bridge Lane wines. Bridge Lane is described […]
When I think of a blended wine, I think first of a wine made by blending different varieties, as in a Bordeaux or in a Rhône-style wine. Blending multiple varieties allows for greater complexity and balance in the finished wine. Blending of vintages, as in the production of a non-vintage Champagne or sparkling wine, allows for consistency from year-to-year…a house style. But, it is also possible to blend wines of the same variety from different regions to produce wines of balance and elegance. This is the tack taken by negotiant winery Adler Fels, established in 1979, with great success in the two wines we tasted.
With every glass of wine comes the opportunity to learn something new. Sometimes it’s a new variety, new producer or new region. In the case of this group of wines from Concha y Toro a close look at the labels provides us with the opportunity to learn a bit about three wine regions in Chile. Wine and geography, this should be fun!
I have to say, after tasting this range of wines from Bodegas Salentein, I’m developing a affection for Argentinian wine, at least for those made by Salentein. This is the second collection of wines we’ve tasted (their Killka wines were the first), and we have one more group after this. With each group of wines we have gained an appreciation for the style and quality of the wines produced by Bodegas Salentein.
If someone says Rombauer Vineyards to you, what is the first thought that comes to mind? I’d be willing to bet it’s: Chardonnay. Even Rombauer Vineyards’ winemaker, Richie Allen, jokes that some people think Chardonnay is all that Rombauer produces.
We recently had the opportunity to taste a range of wines produced by Brian and Stephy Terrizzi under their label Broadside. The couple participated in an online tasting during which they answered our questions and tasted four of their wines with us. The wine was provided to us as tasting samples. The tasting, among other things, highlighted the variety of wine styles being produced in the Paso Robles AVA.
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.